Fountain scrubbing machine



Jan. 15, 1924.

A. M. CAINE FOUNTAIN SCRUBBING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 Filed Sept. 11, 1922 4 772. fiap'ne Jan. 15; 1924.

' A. M. CAINE FOUNTAIN SCRUBBING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet :2

Filed Sept. 11, 1922 Sci-hi5- Patented Jan. 15,1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs.

.AHSEL M. CAINE, 01 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

FOUNTAIN SCRUBBING MACHINE.

Application filed September 11, 1922. Serial No. 587,517.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANsnL M. CAINE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented -certain new and useful Improvements in Fountain- Scrubbing Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact descriptionmoved from the surface beingcleanedduring such operation by automatic means, whereupon a second or cleansing water is supplied to the scrubbing means for removing the first water and thoroughly cleansing said surface, after which the same is withdrawn from the surface by the heretofore mentioned automatic means, leaving the sur-' face both clean and dry.

It is also an object of the invention to provide the machine with a novel form of head having a plurality of compartments therein adapted to receive water absorbing material and being connected to suction conveying means for reheving the absorbin means of such water as may be absorbe thereby during operation of the device and returning it to a suitable reservoir provided within the same.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part ointed out hereinafter.

In or er that the invention and its mode "of operation may be readily understood by persons skilled in the art, I have in the accompanying illustrative drawings and in the detailed following description based thereon, set out one ossible embodiment of the same. In these rawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved scrubbing machine;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same;

7 'gure 3 is "a vertical section therethi'ough; i v I Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the machine showing certain of the water absorbing means removed from the compartments in the head;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail in section showing the arrangement of the water absorbing means in one of such compartments together with the suction conveying pipe employed in connection therewith; and,

F'gure 6 is a fragmentary detail, partly in section, showing the arrangement of one of the Water control valves in the tank of the scrubbing machine.

Havingmore particular reference to the drawings, in connection with which like characters of reference will designate corresponding parts throughout, the improved -machine may be stated to comprise a circular tank indicated in its entirety by the numeral 1, comprising concentrically arranged compartments 2 and 3 respectively, the compartment 3 being closed and if desired, provided with a form of spring check valve, such as indicated at 4, whereby the vacuum created therein through means hereinafter more fully described, may be regulated at the will of an operator. The innermost of the concentric compartments designated by the numeral 2, has the to thereof open and is diametrically divided y partitions 5, thus providing separate pockets within the same, one of which is adapted to contain water su plied with a cleansing compound or solutlon, while the other of the same is adapted to receive clear cleansing water. v

The tank 1 is preferably mounted in a circular band like frame 6, having arms 7 extending laterally therefrom and provided with suitable wheels generally indicated by the numeral 8 for an obvious urpose. This circular frame 6 has depen ent apertured ears 9 formed upon the upper portion thereof adapted to receive the bifurcated portion 10 of a suitable handle 11, whereby movement of the machine over a surface to be scrubbed or cleansed will be facilitated. I

A circular compartment 12 is formed within the compartment 2 and receives therein a supporting frame 13 having arms 14 thereon supporting an electrical motor 15 whose armature shaft is vertically disposed and connected by means of an extension 16' to the form of 'scrubbin hereinafter more fully described. onnected to the upper or remaining end of the armature shaft of the motor 15 is the rotatable its means piston of a pump, not shown, housed with n a casing 17 supported in the upper extremity of the frame 13 directly above the motor 15. A pipe 18 is extended from the inlet or suction port of the pump'.casing 17 and comcaused to rotate, thereby creating a suction in the same and likewise, in the compartment 3. y

Arranged below and directly adjacent the bottom of the tank 1 is a circular head designated in its entirety by the numeral 19, said head comprising parallel inner and outer walls which are divided by radially disposed partition walls 20 into a plurality" of compartments. Each of these compartments is adapted to receive suitable absorbent material 21, such as sponge or the like in order that the same when contacting with the surface being cleansed or scrubbed by the machine will function to absorb all water vcontacting therewith.

To remove water absorbed by the material 21 in the pockets of the head 19 from the same, an angular pipe'22 is extended into the upper portion of the compartment 3, while the opposite or lower end thereof is extended into engagement with a small com .partment 23 arranged on an adj acent portion of the outer wall of said head 19, in the manner shown in Figure 3. A circularly shaped pipe 24 is arranged in the upper portion of the head 19 directly above the compartment formed therein" and communicates with the compartment 23 to whichthe pipe 22 is connected. Right angularly formed branch pipes or nozzles 25 are connected in equi-distantrelation" about the circular pipe .24 and extend downwardly through the head- 19 into engagement with the absorbingmaterial 21 arranged in its various-pockets.

Thus, it will be understood that 'with the creation of suction'in the pipe 22, the same will be applied to the circularly shaped pipe 241and the branch pipes 25a1rd in"con-' sequence, that anywater absorbed by the ma- 1 terial 21 in the compartments of the head- 19 will be removed therefrom by wa of saidp'ipes 25 and 24 to the pipe 22 an the compartment 3 under influence of the rotatable suction pump the numeral 17.

The upper portion of the machine head 19 is formed with a circular depression or pocket 26 having a lurality of o enings 27 formed concentrical y thereof, w ile oipenings are formed in adjacent portions 0 the bottom of the several pockets of the comherein designated by partment 2 and are adapted to be closed by manually operable valves 28 carrying on the upper ends of their elongated stems, suitable handles 29 for an obvious purpose.

A rotatable scrubbing brush consisting of right angularly disposed portions and generally indicated by the numeral 30 is arranged within the circular compartment formed by the inner Wall of the circular head 19. The lower end of the armature shaft 16 of the motor 15 is extended and formed with a screw threaded end adapted to be engaged in a concentrically located socket in the head of the rotatable brush 30. Thus, with rotationof the armature shaft 16 of the motor, the brush .30 will be likewise rotated at a corresponding speed.

In operation of the improved scrubbing machine, water containing a cleansing compound or solution is placed in one of the pockets of the compartment 2, while clear water is placed in the other. ,At this time, that particular valve 28 establishing communication between the pockets containing the cleansing solution water and thecircular depression 26 in the head 19 is opened and the means governing the .motor 15 isoperated, thus energizing themotor and causing it to rotate with the brush 30. The machine is now pushed over a surface to be cleansed by the handle 11 and a flow of cleansing solution and water will flow through the openings 27 in the bottom of the depression-26 onto the perforated head of the rotating scrubbing brush 30, thus permitting the same to thoroughly scrubandcleanse the surface. As the cleansing solution containing water is thrown outwardly by .the rotating brush 30, it will contact with the absorbent'material 21 in the various compartments of the machine head 19, and upon be a ing absorbed thereby, willbe gathered up by the suction branch pipe 25 and delivered to the circularly shaped pipe 24 from whence it will be delivered by way of the pipe 22 to the suction compartment 3 connected to the rotary suction ump through the medium of the plpe 18. l hen the scrubbin operation has been com leted, it is desiralile that the surface scrub ed be cleansed of the now soiled cleansin solution containing water and eifect this, the first mentioned valve 28 is closed, whereupon the. second valve 28 is opened thus es'ta between the clear water containing pocket of the compartment 22 and'the' circular'depression 26 in the machine head 19. This clear water will flow through'the ports 27 into engagement with the rotating brush 30 and W1 lishing communication I thoroughly cleanse the surface. The water upon being thrown outwardly by' the centrifu a1 action of the rotating brush 130 will be a sorbed by the material 21 and convegedtherefrom through the branch pipe the circularly shaped pipe 24 through the pipe 22 to the suction compartment 3. The surface will be now comparatively dry and clean.

Manifestly, the construction shown is capable of considerable modification and such modification as is within the scope of my claims, I consider within the spirit of my invention. a r

I claim:.

1'. A scrubbing machine comprising a frame, a tank thereon having concentrically arranged compartments, one of which is closed and another divided into pockets, a circular head arranged adjacent and beneath the tank and divided into a plurality of compartments, absorbent material in each of said compartments, suction creating means supported upon the tank and communicating with one of said compartments and a circular pipe arranged in proximit head having branch pipes 'exten ing into engagement with said absorbent material,

said pipe communicating with that compartment connected to the suction creating means, a rotatable brush received in the head and a common means for driving said brush and suction creating means.

2. A scrubbing machine comprising a wheeled frame, a circular tank supported thereon having concentrically arranged compartments, one of which is closed and another divided into a pair of pockets, a circular head arranged adjacent to and directly beneath said tank and divided into a plurali'ty ofcompartments and having a'circular depression formed in the upper ortion thereof, absorbent means in each 0 the compartments ofsaid head, valve means for selectively establishing communication between the 'ockets of said compartment and said circu ar depression in the head, a circular pipe received by said, head-having branch pipes extending intdsaid-absorbent to said eating with compartments, one of said compart-' ments being closed ranged adjacent to and directly beneath the tank and divided into a plurality'of comart-ments and having a circular depression ormed in the upper portion thereof, a rotatable brush received in-- said head, valve means arranged in ports in the divided pockets of said last mentioned compartment for selectively establishing communication between the same and said circular depression in the circular head, said circular depression having a pluralit of outlet ports therein, absorbent materia in each of the compartments .of the circular head, a pipe received in the circular head having branch pipes-extending therefrom intoengagement with said absorbent material, said pipe communithe first mentioned of the compartrnents, within the innermost concentric compartment of said tank having the lower end of its armature shaft fixedly connected to the rotatable-brush, suction creatingmeans supported within said mentioned compartment and connected, to the upper extremity "of the motor armature shaft, and means for estabcreating means and the closed compartment.

'In witness my hand.

'. ANSEL M. CAINE.

an electrical motor supported whereof I have hereunto set -lishingcommunicatio'n between said suction 

